DC mayor and AG at odds as lawsuit challenges Trump’s anti-crime operation
Democratic leaders in Washington, D.C., seem divided on President Donald Trump's law enforcement surge aimed at cleaning up the district's streets.
D.C. Attorney General Brian Schwalb (D) filed a lawsuit on Thursday against the Trump administration for deploying thousands of National Guard troops to the nation's capital.
'This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of DC residents and visitors — to undermine the president's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in DC.'
"The residents and leaders of the District of Columbia have not requested any of this," the complaint reads. "None of this is lawful."
Schwalb accused Trump of "run[ning] roughshod over a fundamental tenet of American democracy — that the military should not be involved in domestic law enforcement."
"No American city should have the U.S. military — particularly out-of-state military who are not accountable to the residents and untrained in local law enforcement — policing its streets," Schwalb said. "It's D.C. today but could be any other city tomorrow. We've filed this action to put an end to this illegal federal overreach."
He further claimed that the Trump administration authorized the National Guard deployment without Mayor Muriel Bowser's (D) consent. However, Bowser recently thanked the White House for helping the city reduce crime.
"We greatly appreciate the surge of officers that enhance what [the Metropolitan Police Department] has been able to do in this city," Bowser stated during a Wednesday news conference.
While she admitted the law enforcement surge had lowered crime, she simultaneously claimed that the presence of federal immigration agents and National Guard troops was "not working," noting that she is "devastated" by residents "living in fear."
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The White House called Schwalb's lawsuit an attempt to undermine Trump.
"President Trump is well within his lawful authority to deploy the National Guard in Washington, D.C. to protect federal assets and assist law enforcement with specific tasks," White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told the Daily Signal. "This lawsuit is nothing more than another attempt — at the detriment of D.C. residents and visitors — to undermine the president's highly successful operations to stop violent crime in D.C."
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'It is my opinion that the Bondi Order is unlawful, and that you are not legally obligated to follow it,' Schwalb said.
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